September 22, 2011

Being an effective communicator is an essential skill that gives advocates for social change the tools to hone their story, challenge prevailing cultural narratives, and ultimately build stronger movements that can bring about change. The Storytelling Cafe (led by Lab Team member Omar Freilla and other members of the Latin American and Caribbean Community Center) introduces a story-based model that links traditional organizing techniques with new strategies and communication methods. Topics covered include identifying story types, creating and developing your story, using social media to disseminate your story, and pitching your story to the press.

What effect does the city have on your brain and body? In a series of weekly tours developed with Lab Team member Charles Montgomery, Dr. Colin Ellard, author of You Are Here: Why We Can Find Our Way to the Moon, but Get Lost in the Mall, has begun to gather evidence about the psychological effects of public spaces near the Lab. This week, join Dr. Ellard on this tour and measure the effects of the city on your own brain and body.

Ever wonder where your power comes from, where your waste goes, or how all of that “stuff” made its way to store shelves? The neighborhood of Sunset Park, Brooklyn, has become a hotbed of community organizing as local residents, mostly young people, have challenged the City and State over the area’s polluting industries. See for yourself what it’s like to live next to the places many people prefer not to think about. Hear firsthand the impacts on the lives and health of residents. Travel the route proposed for a new waterfront bicycle path and hear what youth leaders from UPROSE have to say about it all.

Today we live in an era of overurbanization. Large numbers of people gather in cities, but the resources we share are limited. This leads to problems such as overcrowding, traffic congestion, air pollution, unemployment, class conflict, and so on—problems not only at the government level, but also for those of us who live in cities. If we can’t flee—or if we don’t want to flee—then we have to take action to make our lives more comfortable. In a presentation on his urban research and curatorial projects, artist and curator Ou Ning shares his personal actions and public interventions to see how we can develop the discussion about these challenges and explore solutions.